Brethren in Arms

When Lady Margaret Blake and her sister lose their parents in a boating accident they are left to the guardianship of their uncle. Disregarding their feelings for the price their beauty will fetch on the Marriage Mart, he arranges a match for both. Lady Margaret, however, has her own views on the matter and takes her fate into her own hands. Returning home after war to assume his responsibilities, Luke, Duke of Waverley, expects a nice, quiet life on his country estate. Within hours of stepping foot in England, though, he stumbles upon a young woman being attacked and no sooner does he rescue her than she runs away. His sense of curiosity is piqued and his sense of honor compels him to help her, leading him on a merry chase . . . Meg escapes the marriage, only to find herself at the mercy of others. Fortunately, in the soldier she cannot avoid she also finds herself in very capable hands. Only her uncle has a deeper reason for his actions and will stop at nothing to see his plans fulfilled.

Shipwrecked and believed dead by his friends, Captain Philip Elliot has been in hiding whilst spying on one of Napoleon's most trusted lieutenants. Despite being in exile, Bonaparte still has grandiose plans of escape and conquering Europe . . . with the help of his ex-mistress, La Glacier, the most beautiful and complicit woman in France. Now the Duke of Wellington wants Philip to come out of hiding in order to help expose La Glacier's plot to free the Emperor. Lady Amelia Blake has taken London Society by storm, having multiple suitors and multiple offers for her hand-yet she can accept none of them. Pining after Captain Elliot after a brief acquaintance, she could not find another man who had the same effect on her. When one of her suitors attempts to force her hand, she jumps at the chance to escape to France and help Wellington spy on her mysterious aunt. Only, she discovers her partner in this endeavor is the very man she is trying to forget. Will she be up to the task when her heart has such divided loyalties?

Despite Tobin O'Neill's humble origins, he finds himself a lieutenant in His Majesty's army, serving on Wellington's staff. When the roguish Irishman strikes up an unlikely friendship with a general's daughter, they somehow become enmeshed in navigating the perils of the greatest battle of their age. Bridget Murphy had grown up following the drum. Left motherless when a child, she knows no other life and has found purpose in nursing the wounded. The conflict at Waterloo having no regard for rank or fortune in the course of its destruction, they find themselves leaning on each other as they slowly recover from the aftermath. When they return to Ireland, Bridget's family betrays her, while Tobin's unexpectedly wants to be a part of his life. In a stroke of irony their situations then become reversed, and Tobin now has to convince Bridget that they were meant for each other.

War widow Kitty Gordon has been left without a penny to her name. In the two years since her husband Peter's death, the small pittance his brother had given her has run out despite economizing and taking in as much work as she could. His fellow officers had offered her help, but she'd always refused out of pride. Now she has nothing left, including pride. She seeks a post at her old home, Thackeray Close, hoping her distant relation will have pity on her and take her on as his servant. Matthias, Lord Thackeray, returned to the army after Napoleon's escape from Elba, despite having sworn never to fight again following his best friend Peter's death. Although he survived the bloody carnage at Waterloo, he has not been left unscathed. His leg is shattered and he has been sent home to England to heal. But when he wakes from an injury-induced fever, he finds Kitty, his first love, begging for work as his housekeeper! Honor bound to provide for his best friend's widow, Matthias fears Kitty's presence will create yet more wounds. Fury at his incapacity, and the strain of hiding his true feelings, make him push her away, yet he cannot deny he needs her. How can he turn the tables and make Kitty realize she also needs him?

Young love torn apart by war and a cold marriage . . . Is ten years too late to start again? Captain James Frome, seasoned veteran and war hero, is returning home after ten years away. He has sold his commission and must face what he left behind. Besides finding an estate that is in ruin and a family that is lost without his direction, he also runs into his past and the reason he was forced into the army in the first place. Lady Annag Calder has finally cast off her mourning blacks and escapes back to her family home in Scotland for some peace, except peace is not what she finds. Instead, she runs into the reason she was forced into a bad marriage in the first place. Seeing James again confirms her constant heart, but can he accept her love? After ten years, neither James nor Annag are the same people, but is there still enough love left for them to have a future?